I glanced at my watch for the umpteenth time now. It read 6:23 pm, which meant my Sensei was 23 minutes late to class - make that 24 as the minute hand moves further. Still no sign of him, while i sit on the watchman's stool, waiting for my Master to come and teach me KARATE.
While i wait, a fleeting thought crosses my mind - Karate has become a commercialized sport now, the ideals and attitude lost in the show-shine of the big city. Mumbai does that to many people, but i never new that it could actually influence karatekas who vow to follow the virtuous path of a disciplined life. I dont know about disciplined life but boy, my sir has no value for time...punctuality went out of the window when it comes to him.
Then i remembered one of my friends telling me his woes regarding the partiality in his Karate class, where his Sensei favoured a select batch of students while the lesser favoured ones were not payed much attention to. They only got forms for various camps, competitions and training classes regardless of whether they were trained or not. He also told me his Sensei had increased the examination fees tremendously and had to leave the thoughts of giving his Black Belt examination. Too much of a fee-hike wasted his talents and qualitities because i know he was a hard working guy.
At that point of time, training under Sensei Iqbal in the Shorin Ryu Seibukan style of Karate, i had really high regards for my master. I modelled every other karate instructor as he was, and obviously it was hard to believe my friends quake claims. But now, after 3 long years i have finally realised and understood that in India, karate was to play subordinate to Cricket, just like all the other sports in India do. No wonder the life of Hockey, Kabbadi and Football players is nothing more than a mere hickey. The Sport Federation of India will never 'SUDRO-FY'.
Coming back to the point, i have started practicing the 'Shotokan' style of karate - a rather popular and well spread style atleast in Mumbai. My hunger for knowledge and thurst for results drives me to perfection in every basic movement and 'Kata' form structure...so much so that i now suffer from the 'Jumper's knee'. Yet, my efforts have paid off and in the coming month of December i will appear for the State level Kumite competition that is approaching me at a steady pace but my Sensei rarely trains me in the basic roundhouse kicks and swift punches that is essential for me to even stand a chance to proceed to the next round. Sensei has a knack off diplomatically avoiding tasks, and being his student i cannot disrespectfully ask of him to 'Do as i say'. But i am reaching my limits now...
Soon my mother will pay him a visit and make him talking. She wasn't in the physical sondition recently to be able to pay him a visit but soon, very soon he wil see my mother and will have to answer her questions. So much for the karate way of life. I have given up on him and i find myslef the best teacher in the world. The mirror on the wall talks to me and shows me the errors that creep into my Karate, and watching myself practice the Art leads me to perfection. I am my own boss, friend and guide when it comes to reaching higher levels of immavulate perfection in Karate.
I have no intentions of disowning myself from this beautiful Martial Art form and i shall positively pursue it even till i am a middle aged man with less stamina and even lesser hair on my head! ;)
Ah! Finally my Sensei comes, riding on hir brand new Yamaha FZ-S bike. He has a rather disoriented look on his face, and i knoe for sure that today i shall have a tough training session. But i am ready to puch my body to the limits, my brain to the test and my soul to the deeper confines of the human existence. I will grow like the Banyan and reach the greater humanity, all i need is the water of knowledge and the divine sun to grow from a tender sapling to a great-rooted tree. I shall fight the bales and gales that cross my path.
I SHALL RISE!
Sayonara
Oyasumi Nasai...
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